Cloth roll windup and release



Feb@ ll, 3.95@ A F15@- ET AL, 29497932@ CLQTH ROLL WINDUP AND RELEASE Filed Sep't. 30, 1948 ZNVENTOR. CARL D. BROWN By ALPHONSEJFISET AT'i'ORNEY Patented Feb. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES GFFICE CLOTH ROLL WINDUP AND RELEASE Application September 30, 1948, Serial No. 52,106

6 Claims.

This invention pertains to improvements in means for winding up and for releasing .cloth rolls in looms.

It is a general object of the invention to render more convenient the winding up and the` releasing of a cloth roll in a conventional loom, also to increase the safety with which the cloth roll wind-up mechanism may be operated.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a cloth roll wind-up mechanism which is adapted to function under a preset amount of tension which may not be inadvertently altered by the weaver as the cloth roll is wound to the initial or starting position, and which cannot exceed predetermined values as the winding of the cloth roll proceeds, thereby making it unnecessary to rely upon the skill of the weaver in adjusting the tension.

It is a further object of the invention to locate the winding or control mechanism for the cloth roll at such a position that the weaver may reach it conveniently andfwithout interfering with other mechanism or parts of the loom, or with adjacent looms.v

It is a further object of the invention to de.

vise a cloth roll winding mechanism which shall require very little force to be applied to the winding crank or other control by which the cloth roll is moved and to take advantage of the weight of the woven material as it is wound on the roll.

It is a further object of the invention to devise a cloth roll wind-up and release mechanism which shall, insofar as the manually operated winding mechanism goes, be more or less unidirectional in its construction, or designed primarily for moving the cloth roll in one direction against the tension of the springs which maintain the cloth roll upwardly against the sand roll, and which functions as the cloth roll is to be elevated, merely to permit that elevation by the said preloaded springs. It also may not be employed to add any pressure to that for which said springs are initially set.

Other object will be apparent from the following more detailed description.

In conventional cloth roll Wind-up and release mechanisms, the winding of the cloth roll into engagement with the sand roll is effected by a crank functioning through suitable gearing and which is positioned very close to the supporting floor beneath the loom so that space is made available for windinga cloth roll of maximum diameter. These devices are diicult to operate since the weaver has to get down beneath the front of the loom and operate a hand crank very `2 close to the floor. It is not always easy to make a full rotation of the crank. That slows up the operation and thus considerable time may be consumed in awkwardly winding down the cloth roll preparatory to doiiing; then considerable time will be found necessary to return the mechanism to its original position adjacent and in contact with `the sand roll as a new cloth package is started. Furthermore, these conventional devices require a degree of skill or judgment on the part of the weaver in that he must rst elevate the cloth roll and then tension the spring or springs which press the roll into engagement with the sand roll. That leads to lack of uniformity since no two operators have the same ideas with respect to correct tension and since, dueto the relative inaccessibility of the parts, it is rather hard to judge the amount of tension which is actually being applied.

According to the present invention, a spring shaft, connected through gearing to racks in the cloth roll stand, is employed for pressing the cloth roll upwardly into contact with the sand roll by a preloaded spring or springs which are of such length and size that as the cloth package is built up on the roll itself, the springs will always tend to maintain a substantially constant or correct amount of pressure between the Woven material and the surface of the take-up or sand roll. In contrast to prior constructions, the spring or springs which are xed to the spring shaft and which are pretensioned as above described, are permanently set at the correct tension and therefore it is not necessary to employ the hand crank for tensioning these members in addition to elevating the cloth roll, neither is it necessary to relax or release the tension on the springs at intervals as the roll of cloth is increased in size.

A hand crank or other manually operated control means is preferably positioned at one side of the machine in a convenient and accessible place, for example, at about one-half the distance from the floor to the top of the breast beam for the loom. That hand crank which may remain in position, or may be detachable as desired, is employed to rotate reduction gearing which is in turn connected through a uni-di rectional clutch, to that gear or gears which interconnect the spring shaft with the racks on which the cloth roll is borne. This clutch which may be of any convenient type having that desired characteristic is spring pressed into operaf tive engagement and the hand crank may be intentionally employed to rotate the gearing in#1 3 cluding that meshing with the racks and the spring shaft, to wind down the cloth roll after it has a desirable amount of cloth wound thereon, or at any other time, preparatory to doiing. The cloth roll will at such time have a sufficient weight of material thereon so that, even though the spring or springs at the spring shaft are tensioned nearly to a maximum amount, it will not require much force to overcome that tension in lowering the cloth roll the slight amount necessary to reach the doing position.

Whenever it is desired to insert a new cloth roll and to raise it into starting position, it is merely applied or introduced into the cloth roll stands in the usual manner and the hand crank, above mentioned, is then rotated in such direction as to permit the cloth roll to be elevated by .the preloaded springs. The clutch is engaged, and, since the reduction gearing is of irreversible type, the rotation of the crank is necessary to permit the cloth roll to return under the influence of the preloaded spring or springs. When the cloth roll has been raised and pressed into contact with that force intended to be exerted by the spring when the roll is in that initial or starting position, further pressure between the cloth roll and sand roll is not possible since continued rotation of the hand crank in a direction `to permit the roll to be elevated merely causes slipping of the -clutch in that direction. At ythat time the clutch teeth repeatedly disengage land slip by one lanother, a spring of relatively light tension permitting such movement.

During building of the cloth package, the unidirectional clutch serves a lsecond function, `namely, that of permitting downward movement of the mechanism without corresponding movement of lthe hand crank and reduction gearing which, as stated, is irreversible.

The invention will be described hereinafter in greater detail by reference to one particular embodiment thereof as shown in the accompanying figures of drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of va part of a loom to which a cloth roll stand and appurtenant mechanism in accordance with the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a detail view, to a larger scale, and taken at line 2 2, Fig. l, showing that gearing which rotates the parts necessary to elevate and lower the cloth roll.

Fig. 3 `is a detail of a fragmentary portion of Vthe device, the parts beingshown to a scale much enlarged as compared to the scale employed in Fig. l, certain yparts being shown in a section taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2.

Now'referring to the figures, so much of a conventional loom has been illustrated as is necessary to an understanding of the invention herein described and its relation to the loom as a whole. The loom comprises, among other parts, loom- `sides IU and l and a front girt I2 and breast beam' |3. Between this front girt and breast beam are vertically disposed the right hand and left hand cloth roll stands I4 and I5, respectively. Adjacent the breast beam I3 and just behind it is a take-up roll or sand roll l of any conventional design and which is driven by mechanism not shown here, but the details of which are Vwell understood by those skilled in the art. A cloth roll Il is shown having a package of cloth or woven material wound thereon and indicated by numeral I8. This cloth roll may be increased in size to a diameter vmuch greater than that illustrated and, in fact, the limit on the size of roll to be Wound is determined or governed only by the space available between the sand roll I5 and parts beneath and to the rear of that roll as is understood by those familiar with looms of this type.

A spring shaft I9 is held within suitable bearin place by set screws or by any other convenient locking means.

The stands I4 and l5 and the mechanism carried vat either side of the machine and supported by these stands is substantially the same, and a description vof one side should suice for an understanding of both. A rack 2| is guided vertically within the stand 4Ill and has a plurality of teeth engaged by a gear 22 which in turn also meshes with a second -or intermediate gear 23 also engaged with the gear 2U. The gears 2|), 22 and 23 are all of similar size, although that is not essential. Gear 23 is freely rotatable on a stud 24. That applies ait both Asides of the machine. Gear 22 would be freely rotatable on a similar stud at tbe'left side, but that gear is necessarily fixed to a shaft 25 at the right hand side of the mr.- chine since that is the side at which the hand crank, reduction gearing 4and clutch drive are connected.

The racks 2| are restrained to move within suitable guide or retaining means land have the usual bearing supports at their `upper ends for the ends of the cloth roll The stands I4 and |5 have 'slots 26 formed therein and the lower edges 21 of these slots are formed as'ill-ustra-ted in Fig. 2, and as is understood by those skilled in the art, for the introduction yand withdrawal of the ends of the cloth roll -as it is inserted preparatory to starting a new package or `withdrawn for dofling.

The spring sha-ft I9 has freely rotatable 'with respect thereto a Vcollar A28 which has Van outward hexagonal shape or periphery adapted `to be engaged within a corresponding opening within a retaining member 29. The member 29 is attached to the front girt or to any -other fixed part of the machine so that it may not rotate. Other' shapes may be substituted, the requirement for preventing relative rotation Vbetween the collar and retaining member being satisfied.

When the maximum amount of fabric has been wound on the cloth-roll, the 'loom is stopped and the roll doned by winding it down the remainder of the distance necessary to `align the ends of the shaft Il with the slots 26 through which those ends pass as the roll is removed. That winding down -of the parts is .accomplished by turning crank 4| in such a direction as to drive the right hand gears 22 through the clutch parts 44 and '45 which then function positively, and, of course, the left hand gear 22 through the train of gears at each side and the interconnecting spring shaft. The mechanism remains in any position to which it has been adjusted, being retained there by the springs 32 and 33 and the fact that the worm 40 and worm gear 42 constitute an irreversible drive means.

To start weaving again an empty cloth roll is inserted and the crank 4| turned in the opposite direction, that is, in a direction to permit the cloth roll to be moved upwardly as the racks 2| are moved in that direction. What actually takes place at that time lis that the springs 32 and 33 furnish the 'force necessary to raise the cloth roll and the elevating parts therefor, the rotation of the worm 42 and the clutch parts i5 merely permitting movement in that direction. When the cloth roll bears against the sand roll with a sufficient or predetermined pressure as governed by the loading on the springs 32 and 33 when the parts are in elevated position, further rotation of crank 4| merely turns the clutch member d5, the teeth slipping by one another as permitted by the spring 41.

It may thus be seen that the cloth roll wind-up and release mechanism described herein is of relatively simple type and that the control therefor which comprises a crank 4i or other similar element is advantageously and conveniently located at a height which does not require the loom operator to assume an extreme or awkward position. The fact that control of tension or the pressure of the cloth roll against the sand roll is governed by the springs which are preloaded and more or less counterbalanced to an extent by the weight of the cloth roll itself, makes it impossible for errors of judgment on the part of the operator to cause breakage of parts, or at least, severe strain thereof, and probably damage to the fabric actually being taken up.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to cover all Variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In a loom having a sand roll, a cloth roll and cloth roll stands within which said cloth roll is retained, the improvement in means for winding up and releasing said cloth roll which comprises racks upon which the cloth roll is supported in said cloth roll stands, a shaft and gears rotated thereby and interconnected to said racks, and pretensioned, resilient means for continuously urging the shaft in a direction to raise the racks and to press the cloth roll toward the sand roll, and a means for winding down the cloth roll comprising a hand crank, a unidirectional driving clutch and reduction gearing rotated hy said crank and interconnected to the gearing for said racks through said uni-directional driving clutch.

2. In a loom having a sand roll, a cloth roll and cloth roll stands within which said cloth roll is retained. the improvement in means for winding up and releasing said cloth roll which comprises racks upon which the cloth roll is supported in said roll stands, a spring shaft and gears rotated thereby and interconnected to said racks, and pretensioned springs for continuously urging the shaft in a direction to raise the racks and to press the cloth roll toward the sand roll, and means for winding down the cloth roll comprising a hand crank located at the side of the loom and intermediate the height thereof, reduction gearing rotated by said hand crank and means interconnecting said reduction gearing with the gears through which the racks are elevated by the said springs, comprising a uni-directional driving clutch adapted to convey power from the .hand crank to Wind down the cloth roll, but permitting the cloth roll to move downwardly as the size of the roll increases without corresponding movement of the hand crank and reduction gearing.

3. In a loom having a sand roll, a cloth roll and Cloth roll stands within which said cloth roll is retained, the improvement in means for winding up and releasing said cloth roll which comprises racks movable in said cloth roll stands and upon which the cloth roll is borne and by which it may be elevated and pressed against the sand roll, a spring shaft adjacent the lower part of the said loom, spring means normally urging said spring shaft in one direction, gears xed to the ends of said spring shaft and a train of gears meshing with said first mentioned gears for conveying the force of said springs to the racks for elevating them and the said cloth roll, and means for winding down the cloth roll comprising a hand crank, reduction gearing rotated by said hand crank and interconnected to one of those gears which is meshed with a rack at one side of the stand by means Which comprises a uni-directional clutch so disposed as to convey the driving force of the reduction gearing to wind down the said cloth roll, but adapted when rotated in the opposite direction to permit the cloth roll to rise under the influence of the said springs, but to become disengaged upon contact of the cloth roll with the sand roll under a predetermined tension.

4. In a loom having a sand roll, a cloth roll and cloth roll stands within which said cloth roll is retained, the improvement in means for Winding up and releasing said cloth roll`which comprises racks carried within Ysaid cloth roll stand and adapted to support the cloth roll therein, a spring shaft and gears fixed to the ends of said spring shaft, a train of gears for conveying the movement imparted by said spring shaft and from those gears fixed thereto to the said racks, a collar adjacent the central portion of said spring shaft and within which that shaft is adapted to rotate freely and means for preventing the rotation of said collar, other collars fixed to said spring shaft and springs attached from the said rst mentioned collar to those collars which are attached to the shaft, said springs being preloaded under sufficient tension to elevate the rack through the said gear train and to press the cloth roll against the sand roll with a predetermined and suicient pressure for effecting take-up of the cloth, and means for winding down said cloth roll comprising a shaft to which one gear of said train at one side of the loom is xedly attached, reduction gearing comprising an irreversible worm drive, a crank for rotating said reduction gearing, a clutch part fixed to the shaft extending from the said gear in the train and a second clutch part rotatable with the reduction gearing, said clutch parts having engaging surfaces so formed as to rotate the first mentioned clutch part in a single direction only and to slip relatively to one another when either clutch part is turned in the opposite direction while the other is restrained against rotation, and spring means for urging said clutch parts into engagement with one another.

5. In a loom having a sand roll, a cloth roll and cloth roll stands Within which said cloth roll is retained, that improvement which includes means for winding up and releasing said cloth roll comprising racks vertically movable in said cloth roll stands, a spring shaft adjacent the lower portion of said loom and gear trains between said spring shaft and racks by which movement of the said spring shaft is imparted to the racks for elevating the cloth roll, a spring means relatively xed at one end and attached at its other end to the spring shaft and preloaded to such tension as to raise the cloth roll through the gear trains and racks and to press that roll against the sand roll with sumcient force for effectively taking up the woven fabric, and means for winding down and releasing or for permitting the cloth roll to be elevated under the iniiuence of said spring means which comprises a hand crank, reduction gearing rotatable by said hand crank and means for imparting the rotational movement of said reduction gearing through to one of the gears in one of said gear trains comprising a uni-directional clutch adapted to impart that rotational force positively only in a direction for winding down the said; cloth rolls.

6. Ina loom having a sand roll, a cloth roll and cloth roll stands within which said cloth roll is retained, that improvement which comprises means for winding up and releasing said cloth roll comprising racks, one` in each cloth roll stand, upon which the cloth roll is supported, a spring shaft and spring means for urging said shaft in one direction, a gear fixed to each end of said shaft, a gear train driven from each said gear, a gear in each train meshing with that rack adjacent. thereto for imparting the force of said spring means to the rack thereby to elevate the cloth roll into` contact with the sand roll, and means for positively winding down the cloth roll and for permitting it to be moved upwardly under the influence of said spring means comprising a hand crank, reduction gearing including a worm and a worm wheel which constitute an irreversible reduction gear drive, a sleeve fixed to said worm wheel to be rotated thereby, a shaft extending from one of the gears in the train at the stand adjacent said hand crank and reduction gearing, a uni-directional clutch one part of said clutch being fixed to said shaft, the other part of said clutch being restrained against ro` tation with respect to said sleeve but being axially; movable along that sleeve,` and spring means for urging said axially movable clutch part into engagement with the clutch part fixed to said shaft. the said uni-directional clutch parts being so disposed that driving force imparted by the crank through said reduction gearing is conveyed to the racks to wind them downwardly to lower the cloth roll against the tension of the said spring means, but to permit relative movement between the said clutch parts when the hand crank is rotated in the reverse direction, or whenever the racks move downwardly as the cloth roll increases in size and the irreversible worm gearing is held in stationary position.

ALPHONSE J. FISET. CARL D. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,364,534 Jones Dec. 5, 1944 2,420,178 Kronoif et al May 6, 194'? 2,425,781 Bergstrom et a1 Aug. 19, 1947 

